In order to tow an automotive vehicle in the event of an accident, malfunction, loss of gas, or being stuck in mud or snow, tow hook attachment points are provided on specific portions of the vehicle frame in order to safely tow the vehicle without any damage. Usually, the tow hooks are welded to the tow hook attachment points located on an underside of the vehicle. However, the use of preattached hooks can lessen the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle.
As such, modern automotive vehicles often provide tow hook attachment points located directly behind an opening in the bumper cover. The openings for the tow hook attachment points are covered with a tow hook cover in order to maintain the aesthetically pleasing appearance of the automotive vehicle. When the automotive vehicle is required to be towed, the tow hook covers are disengaged from the bumper cover and access to the tow hook attachment points is easily provided.
The tow hook covers also include a tether hook which retains the tow hook cover to the bumper cover after the tow hook cover has been disengaged avoiding the loss or misplacement of the tow hook cover during towing. Previous tether hooks are often molded integrally with the tow hook cover and include an elongated leg and a pair of arms extending acutely from the elongated leg in a generally arrow-type shape. The tether arrow is inserted into an aperture disposed adjacent to the openings in the bumper cover and remains connected with the bumper cover even after the tow hook cover has been disengaged from the opening.
As the previously known tow hook covers are molded from a plastic type material, the elongated leg typically has a thin construction, while the shorter pair of arms, defining the arrow shape, have a high deflection stress. During attachment, an assembly team member is required to attach the tow hook cover to the bumper cover by first inserting the tether hook into the aperture with enough force such that the pair of arms will deflect, allowing insertion of the tether hook into the aperture. As the pair of arms have a high deflection stress, an assembly team member is required to utilize a high insertion load in order to connect the tether hook into the aperture. However, the thin construction of the elongated leg results in the deflection of the elongated leg during the insertion of the tether hook. This results in a time-consuming process as many of the elongated shafts of the tow hooks deform during installation.
Thus there exists a need for an improved tow hook cover having a tether hook which is easily installed during assembly.